The Blessing Bags Project - Helping Kids Help the Homeless

"Truly I tell you, whatever you did for the least of these brothers and 

sisters of mine, you did for me."

(Matthew 25:40)

Whether we're heading to doctor appointments, or simply wanting to check out the latest museum exhibits, there are a few streets in our neighboring city where we are certain to encounter homeless individuals.

My heart always sinks when I see the needy.  Most often, our family really tries to go out of our way to meet those people, to ask them if we can buy them a meal or anything else they may be in need of. But, when we are running late to our destination, I can't help but think to myself, I wish I had something (other than money) to give them as we're passing by.

This past fall as I was running out of Wal-Mart, late getting home to relieve the babysitter, I spotted a homeless woman wondering through the parking lot.  I had no cash, and no time to run and get her a hot meal.  As I dug through my bag of groceries trying to collect as few things to offer her, I wished I could just put my life on pause and take her across the street for a hot meal.

When I arrived home, I shared with the boys my encounter with the woman, and asked them straight up, "What do you think we can we do as a family to be more helpful?" After a little bit of brain-storming, George suggested that we make bags of small necessities that can be kept in the van and offered to the homeless whenever we are out and about.

I loved his idea.

While Steve and I are thankful that Benedict and Andrew are old enough to volunteer at a local soup kitchen, it's more of a challenge to find ways that our younger children can serve the needy, too.  This was an answer to that challenge!

George and Henry hard at work.  I love it when they don't know they're learning!

We decided to pitch the idea of creating the "Blessing Bags" to our CC community, and they graciously agreed to help out.  George, Henry and I spent just a few hours over a week's time gathering supplies, collecting donations, and boxing up all of the goods for our assembly line.

With many helping hands, our little homeschool community was able to assemble fifty blessing bags in just minutes.  All of the kids were so enthusiastic and did such a great job completing the project!

These are the items we included in the bags:

- one pair of black socks

- hand warmers

- small package of Kleenex

- toothbrush and small toothpaste

- sugar-free gum

- trail mix

- chap stick

- hot chocolate packets

- $10 Wal-Mart gift card

The bags themselves were purchased from Oriental Trading, and most other items were either donated or purchased at Sam's Club.  I also purchased some inexpensive tags at a craft store and stamped on each side of them the saying: May the comfort of God's love fill you with hope and peace. 

Thinking about making the bags with your own family, church, or school community?

Many businesses, especially big-box stores, will be happy to donate items if you request them far enough in advance. Share your story with friends and family, and more than likely someone will want to pitch in! One request that is pretty simple is for the toothbrushes and toothpaste.  Don't be afraid to ask your dentist for these items.

Just a few days after assembling the bags, I came across a very helpful article which included details on how to make care packages for the homeless.  After reading it which items are appreciated, and which ones are best left out, I felt like we did a pretty good job choosing the items for our bags, but maybe we'll consider including a few different items next year.

I hope the blessing bags can become an annual tradition for our community.  Perhaps you, too, can initiate the project in your own family, homeschool community, church, or neighborhood! 

Raising Boys to Men - 12 Insightful Guidebooks For Parents

The second I read that little plus sign on the very first pregnancy test I ever took, I knew that two things had to happen.  First, I had to call my husband and shake up his lunch hour with the crazy wonderful news. Second, I had to drive to the nearest bookstore and scour the shelves for the very best books that would help me figure out how to navigate everything from nausea to nursing.

As you might have guessed, all of those highlighted and tabbed pages did not make for a textbook labor and delivery, nor did it birth a textbook baby (haha, surrrrprise!!), but there's a few of those books that I have returned to for guidance with each and every baby we've had since the first one arrived fourteen years ago.

Outnumbering the baby books on our shelves is a growing stack of guidebooks that I have returned to time and time again for wisdom and advice.  With six wonderfully different personalities, interests, talents, strengths and temperaments to nurture, I have found each and every one of these books to be incredibly helpful and encouraging when it comes to raising our sons.

I refer to these texts as guidebooks, because, while much of them contain great wisdom and advice, sinking all of your time and effort into a bunch of books and hoping that the right formula will result in a perfect child is simply a waste of time.  That being said, it doesn't hurt to set aside our parenting pride and seek out the knowledge of a few trusted resources (including scripture and prayer!) to guide us along the parenting pathway.

Please note that some of these references are not exclusive to raising boys, and can be excellent resources for families with both boys and girls.  Several of these texts taught me not only about my children, but also about myself, giving me insights into the ways that I love, discipline and respond to tough situations based on my own personality and the way that I was raised.  All of those factors combined have a tremendous influence on the decisions I make as a parent.  To have those sources of knowledge as a parent is incredibly valuable!

Do you have a favorite parenting resource? I'd love to hear about it!

Boys Should Be Boys: 7 Secrets to Raising Healthy Sons || Strong Mothers, Strong Sons 

Compass || How We Love Our Kids || Discipline That Lasts a Lifetime 

The Birth Order Book || Boys Adrift || Wild at Heart   

 The Temperament God Gave You || Bringing Up Boys ||  Character Building

Love and Logic Magic: When Kids Leave You Speechless || *Bonus!* The Art of Manliness

1.  Boys Should Be Boys by Meg Meeker is tops on this list for me.  She dives right into the nature of boys and affirms who they are despite what the world is telling them (and everyone else) who and what they should be. 

2.  Strong Mothers, Strong Sons by Meg Meeker is one worth investing in, particularly if you are questioning or struggling to understand the role you play in your sons life. I'm reading this one for the second time, and am gathering new bits of wisdom that I missed the first time through!

3.  Compass: A Handbook on Parent Leadership by James B. Stenson - With a strong emphasis on character formation and how to deal with cultural influences, Stenson's book is one of our go-to handbooks that we reach for time and time again. This is a great one for dads to read.

4.  How We Love Our Kids by Milan and Kay Yerkovich came by recommendation of a wonderful friend of mine.  The authors dive in to five different love styles of parenting, and I have to say that discovering and understanding my love style has really changed the way I communicate with my sons!

5.  Discipline That Lasts a Lifetime by Dr. Ray Guarendi - just read this book, or any of his books for that matter.  Dr. Ray is hilarious. Your house can be burning down with frustration and he can still make you laugh despite all of the parenting struggles you may be dealing with. 

6.  The Birth Order Book by Dr. Kevin Leman was one of the first books I read as a new parent. I'll admit the whole birth order thing gets a little confusing if you have four or more but, for the most part, his points on oldest, middle and youngest children are really interesting and spot on!

7.  Boys Adrift: The Five Factors Driving the Growing Epidemic of Unmotivated Boys and Underachieving Young Men by Leonard Sax - If you have sons, I highly encourage you to take the time to read this one.  It's an eye-opener to say the least. (This title of his is also a worthy read.)

8.  Wild at Heart by John Elderedge was one of the first, and most influential, books Steve and I read together as a couple.  For me, it opened my eyes and heart up to the remarkable and wonderful nature God has given to men and shown me, through that understanding, how to relate to our sons (and to my husband as well) in the most positive ways.

9.  The Temperament God Gave You by Art and Loraine Bennett is a wonderful resource for better understanding the varying personalities in your home (even your own!) and how to encourage those personalities to thrive together despite their differences.

10.  Bringing Up Boys by Dr. James Dobson is probably one of the most popular books written on the topic of raising boys.  It's popular because it's THAT good. There is one particular topic that Dr. Dobson addresses that I very clearly disagree with, but it does not detract from the quality advice and insights in the rest of the book.

11.  Character Building: A Guide For Parents and Teachers by Dr. David Isaacs is not one that you will sit down and devour in one sitting.  It's a lot of information, but a tremendous resource to have on hand in your are striving to teach your children about virtue.

12.  Love and Logic: When Kids Leave You Speachless by Jim and Charles Fay is just one of this duos fantastic resources for parents.  Love and Logic is a simple every action has a consequence philosophy. If you're a Love and Logic parent you know how helpful their tips for discipline and communication are! 

*Bonus* Okay, so this one is kind of a bonus book, and has not made the "Tried and True" list yet but The Art of Manliness by Brett McKay came highly recommended by another homeschool family, and I knew I had to give it a go. It just arrived a few days ago, so I'm only a few pages into it, and so far it's as entertaining as it is interesting!  Now that we have a high schooler under our roof, I have a feeling that this one will be fun to share with our boys as they get older!

Our Family Pilgrimage to Father Kapaun's Home ~ 7 QT Friday

Hellooooo, Friday!! I've really been missing you guys lately, but just can't seem to figure out how to write and run the mothership at the same time.  Our household has been sick this week, so I'm wearing the nurses hat, too.  Since I'm only walking distance form the local bar (seriously, 2.5 blocks), I may be sneaking out tonight for some nerve tonic!

There are so many things I want to share with you guys in this little space, blog ideas abound. Despite the disorganized, dysfunctional life and the lack of time to write, in honor of Veteran's Day being this past week, I thought it would be a perfect time for me to squeeze in a little 7 Quick Takes about a beautiful excursion I took with the boys a few weeks ago to Pilsen, Kansas, home of Father Emil Kapaun, a chaplain of the Korean War, who died a POW in 1951.

A few years ago, my sister, Sara, and I were chatting on the phone and she couldn't wait to tell me about this wonderful little town, a quaint Czech community just north of Wichita, called Pilsen.  She shared with me the story of Father Emil Kapaun, whose cause for sainthood is currently under investigation.  I was so touched by his story and, after reading "A Shepherd in Combat Boots" (very much worth your time), I couldn't wait to visit Pilsen myself.

I don't know why it took so long for me to make the journey to Father Kapaun's shrine, but I can honestly thank my son, Benedict, for getting me there. He came home after school about a month ago and told me that his class would be making a pilgrimage to Pilsen. I was overjoyed with the news and knew that our whole family had to go. 

Before the news of the pilgrimage, I had been saying a novena to Father Kapaun for two intentions which were very close to my heart. Now, I felt as though I could truly unite my prayers to him in a very concrete way.  The timing was perfect. Don't you love Providence?!

It's an understatement to say that our family was changed by the trip to Pilsen.  From their earliest years, we have taught the boys that the saints, whom we ask often to pray for us, show us, above all, the face of Christ.  They encourage us to choose Christ and to love Him, to seek him out in all circumstances, in all situations. That truth sunk in deep during our trip to Pilsen.

The boys were able to connect with Father Kapaun in so many honest, yet profound ways.  Even Charlie, who stayed with me while I fed Joseph in the cry room during the presentation, didn't speak above a whisper while we were in the church.  All of his orneriness shines right through that grin, though!

(Source)

Father Kapaun, no doubt, will soon be canonized a saint. 

Here are just 7 (of so many) reasons why our boys have come to admire this heroic soul:

1.  He was a small town farm boy, just like our boys.  The rolling tree-lined hills that flank the little community of Pilsen are picturesque.  Visiting there is like going back in time, it seems as though not much has changed since Father Kapaun lived there.  I am sure that the physically demanding work and dedication that the farm demanded during his youth were of great benefit to him during his military service.

2.  He led by example.  Many individuals have come forward with stories about Father Kapaun, and none of them talk about how he preached this our that, but rather how he loved and led by example, always encouraging and looking out for others before himself.

Inside the beautiful, historic St. John Nepomucene Cathlic Church

3.  He was a model of humility.  When we arrived at St. John Nepomucene church we spent the first part of the tour listening to a brief history of Father's life, a life full of details shared by a very warm and articulate woman, whom I could see truly loves Father.  She told story after story of how Father Kapaun saved many POW's from death by caring for their wounds, preserving their dignity by helping them bathe in the river, sharing his rations and praying with them and for them.

4.  He smoked a pipe.  On the outside, it seems to be a thing of little significance, but I think what it really points to is how very natural, how very human Father was, and those who served with him were drawn to this naturalness.  They were ultimately drawn to the person of Christ.

5.  He is the most decorated military chaplain in history.  Story after story is told of Father's bravery on the battle field, risking his life time and time again to attend to the needs of other soldiers.  He was known to run through enemy fire dashing between foxholes to deliver food, water, consolation and prayers to the men in the heat of battle.

6.  He was recently awarded the Medal of Honor, the most distinguished honor to be bestowed upon any soldier, living or deceased.  On the Medal of Honor brochure that was given to us on the pilgrimage, the  following was written about Father Kapaun:

As Chinese Communist forces encircled the battalion, Kapaun moved

fearlessly from foxhole to foxhole under direct enemy fire in order to provide

comfort and reassurance to the outnumbered soldiers.  He repeatedly crawled to 

wounded men and either dragged them back to the safety of the American lines, 

or dug shallow trenches to shield them from enemy fire.  As Chinese forces closed in, 

Kapaun rejected several chances to escape, instead volunteering to stay behind

and care for the wounded.

(Of all the memorabilia we were able to experience in the little museum, Father Kapaun's priestly garments were my most favorite.  Seeing them brought tears to my eyes.)

7.  The three miracles that have been attributed to Father Kapaun thus far have all occurred in the lives of young athletes, a soccer player, a pole vaulter, and a marathon runner.  I don't believe that this is a coincidence.  Their stories really had a great impact on the boys, especially Andrew.  

Three fantastic books on the life of Father Kapaun are:

The Miracle of Father Kapaun

(DVD form)

A Shepherd in Combat Boots

A Saint Among Us (great for kids)

If you really want to make a pilgrimage to Father Kapaun's shrine, our diocese hosts a 70 mile hike from Wichita to Pilsen every spring.  I am hoping to make at least part of the journey this fall with the older boys.  You can learn more about it here.

Have a wonderful weekend, friends.  

Father Kapaun, pray for us!!

 

World War I, A Little Bit of Austen, Space Ventures, and Lot's of Boy Stuff - It's What We're Reading Wednesday!

People often ask me how I am able to keep television and media time at a minimum with the boys. First, I'll let you know that it isn't always easy (teaching our kids anything worthwhile is always an investment of time and energy), but if you set a certain standard of expectations when your kiddos are young, and follow through with consistency, they are more likely to develop a strong appetite for exercising the imagination with activities, such as reading, that don't involve being "plugged in."

Our oldest sons (13 and 11) are now at an age where I can say that those early implemented standards of little or no electronics (chores, outdoor time, and quiet reading come first) has gone from being the parents rules to their personal decisions and habits. They both love to read, and I can often find them on the deck or in their rooms engrossed in a book.  I really enjoy it when they come to me eager to share all of the details of a story they have just finished. They are setting a great example for their younger siblings!

Of course they still ask to play Minecraft or watch sports on TV, and we say yes to those things too, but often they will go for days without making such requests, which is such a pleasure for Steve and me, because we know that they are finding pleasure in reading, playing outside, or engaging in games or other crazy adventures together.

Here's a sampling of the goodies we have scattered about the house right now. Some of them we finished reading this summer.  While I'm not a huge fan of incentives when it comes to academics, I thought it would be fun to "inspire" the boys to read more challenging works, so I gave each of them the option to read one book of my choosing and two of their own to be completed before school began. If they finished all of them by the end of summer, they received a gift card to Sports Academy. The oldest three all completed the challenge!

1.  All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich M. Remarque

I remember, with great fondness, reading this book in high school.  This is the book I chose for Benedict, since he really enjoys history, and is quite an accomplished reader.  After seeing how much he loved our trip to the National World War I Museum in Kansas City, I knew he would dive right into this book.  Set during WWI, the story recounts the experience of Paul Baumer, a young German soldier, who enlisted to serve his country during the war. (Note: there are places in the book where the descriptions of the war are quite graphic, and best suited for mature readers.)

2.  The Ranger's Apprentice by John Flanagan

Ben and Andrew are both big fans of this series.  While I haven't read them myself, they tell me that they are full of action, adventure, suspense and have virtuous characters who are loyal, smart and courageous.  There have been a great deal of discussion at the supper table over the battle of good vs. evil in literature, and these books offer a clear picture of just that.

3.  Dear Mr. Knightly by Katherine Reay

I read this novel, which came highly recommended by Anne at The Modern Mr. Darcy, on the way to the lake last week, and I must say that I really enjoyed it.  If you are a fan of Jane Austen, you will appreciate the way Reay intertwines quotes and characters from Austen's most famous works throughout the novel.  

4.  Strong Mothers, Strong Sons by Meg Meeker, M.D.

I'm just getting started with Dr. Meeker's latest publication and am already taking notes.  After reading her book, Boys Should Be Boys, which I highly recommend, I was so impressed that I knew I had to add this title to my shelf.  Unlike her other works, this book is completely dedicated to encouraging healthy mother-son relationships and gives moms insightful tips on how to engage in conversation with our sons, as well as seasoned advice on respecting and better understanding their masculine nature.

5.  The Stars & Find the Constellations by H.A. Rey

Isn't the moon absolutely beautiful this time of year? Gazing at the evening sky during the late summer and fall months always inspires me to better understand astronomy so I can share it with the boys.  Now is the time to get outside, to lay on your backs and to search for constellations, shooting stars and planets with your kiddos! 

We are using these two books, to guide us through our evening adventures. I love the detailed descriptions and the vintage illustrations of both books.  They are truly worth adding to your library! Here's a brief description for both books from Amazon:

Containing star charts, a guide to the constellations, and details about seasons and the movement of the objects we see in the sky, this classic book makes H. A. Rey’s passion for astronomy evident on every page.

Do you have any literary suggestions for me??

Please share!

Darby Does It! - The Sweet Rewards of Learning to Read

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Teaching our sons to read has been one of the greatest pleasures, for me, as a homeschool parent. Each boy has learned at a different pace, some taking an interest in reading and accelerating faster than others, and that's okay with us, as long as they each just keep trying. Instilling in them a life-long passion and joy for great literature is a top homeschooling goal, and so far - thankfully - the older three love to read. The absence of video games and limits on television in the home have naturally helped discovering great books to become the leisure of choice.

Henry, however, is not so fond of school, and not so fond of reading.  Like most boys he would much rather be lassoing the table legs in the kitchen (or a human's legs, whichever is closer) with anything that resembles a rope, or trying to ride Rose, our wonderfully docile retriever, around the yard than pursuing academics. School-schmool.  I'm going to write to those Baby Einstein people and ask for a refund.

After months of applying various methods (begging, threatening and faking supreme disappointment are amongst my favorite) to get him to read, I finally gave in to incentives.

I really dislike incentives very, very much. Mostly because, in this case, I had to climb down off of my idealistic motivational, inspirational high horse and submit to the reality that Darby's just not buying into my joy of reading campaign speeches, and that sometimes dangling a prize, in this case a bag of sugar, in front of my son's nose is the only way to get him to march on.

Henry has quite a sweet tooth, and since I'm known as the sugar Nazi around here, promising anything sweet was one sure-fire way to motivate a child who's had to settle for raisins as a sub for candy his entire six years of life.

Sometime back in February, I promised Henry that he and I would walk to the local gas station, Country Acres, and he could pick out a snack and a drink IF he finished reading the first box of Bob Books.  I saw his eyes glaze over like frosting on donuts fresh from the oven.  And, that was all it took to get his reading wheels spinning!

Unfortunately, the wheels of progress were brought to a screeching halt when the Bob Books mysteriously went missing for about a month.  And, thanks to my bright idea to incentivize, he refused to read anything else. No Bobbo, no reado.  Uugh.  Miraculously, the little blue box reappeared and Henry zipped through all twelve books like lightening.

When the day came for us to make our trip to Country Acres, Henry was giddy with delight.  He went straight to the candy isle, where there were several teenagers who were tickled at the way Henry kept asking me what every little confection and candy bar was, what it tasted like.  "Will I like it?" he would ask innocently while holding up a giant box of Mike 'n Ike's for me to see.

After a couple of minutes of contemplating all of the options, his focus narrowed in on a huge package of sour gummy worms.  I agreed to buy them, but only if he promised to share them with his brothers (who would be thrilled to pieces after being doubly dessert deprived this Lent).

Just in case the bag of hyperactivity induction wasn't enough of a reward, I went ahead and threw a fountain drink on top of it (why not go from raisins to insanity in less than three minutes?).  Let me tell you, it might as well have been Christmas for this boy. The whole experience made me feel a bit like Santa in more ways than one - Oi, zee belly!!

His happy little grin and thankful heart were so endearing, I think I'll remember that afternoon for as long as I live.

Last night, in honor of the reoccurring cold temps, all of the boys found a spot around the fireplace and spent some time reading after supper.  I was so happy to see Henry right in there with his Dick and Jane book, sliding his little finger across the lines on the pages sounding out each word quietly to himself.  Every once in a while he would look up, with a twinkle of pride in his eyes, to see if anyone happened to notice that he was reading too. Such a sweet moment!!

Meet the Masters ~ An Art Program for Homeschooling That You'll Actually Use!

When it comes to the topic of homeschooling, one of the questions I'm often asked is how I choose the curriculum materials for our school, and which resources are my favorite.  I always hesitate to give a direct answer to that question, because I've used so many different resources over the years, some with success and some without.  Another reason for my hesitation is because when it comes to selecting a curriculum for your kiddos, it really boils down to a matter of personal preference, your style and method of teaching, and the educational goals you have set for your students.

There are a few books, however, that I have enjoyed using consistently for several years, with great results and I'm always happy to suggest the use of those.  I like to be sure that whatever text I recommend is well-tested and successfully applied before I sing it's praises to others.  

Today I'm excited to share a curriculum for art that I came across last fall and have thoroughly enjoyed implementing in our classroom this year, and will use for years to come.  It's called Meet the Masters.  

In the past, I've relied upon the Child Size Masterpieces as the basis of the art portion of our curriculum, and while the boys have gained a good perspective on the various periods of art, names of artists and can recognize a number of famous works, the application, the tactile, the "fun" part of the lesson was always missing.  I would try to come up with my own little art projects from time to time, but consistency was always a difficult discipline for me with our full schedule of activities, and thus, art was often sidelined from week to week.

Thankfully, the discovery and implementation of the the Meet the Masters program into our curriculum has brought the beauty of art back into our weekly lessons in a way that we all look forward to and enjoy very much!

The reasons why I have become so fond of the Meet the Masters series is: 

1.  It is simple and very easy to implement in your classroom (just gather your supplies!*).
2.  The depth of biographical detail of each artist is perfect - informative, but not overwhelming.
3.  The lessons can be subscribed to via the internet, and that is the medium through which all lessons are accessed (no more cumbersome books!).
4.  Lessons can be subscribed to based on age/grade (however, since we have multiple grades, I selected the advanced level and modified it for the younger ones).
5.  At the end of the computer tutorial, a complete application with detailed instructions are ready to be printed out and applied in the classroom, focusing on the form and technique of the artist you've just studied.

This semester, we've enjoyed learning about Mary Cassatt, Pier Mondrian, Vincent Van Gogh, Claude Monet, and Pablo Picasso, just 5 of the 35 artists that can be studied in the program!

To enrich the lesson, I have the boys research the following:

1.  Famous musical artists who composed and performed at the time of the art master we're studying.
2.  Major historical events (here in the U.S. and in the country of the artists origin as well) that took place during the period in which the artist was working .

Finally, the boys assemble their notes into a brief biographical report on the artist, along with photocopies of a few of his/her most famous works. Their artist portfolios are then placed in in a three ring binder that we have designated just for art.  I like to print out a few photos of the boys enjoying their own art creations that they may tuck inside their notebooks as well.  The notebooks make a nice representation of what the boys have learned over the year and can be easily filed away in case you ever have to prove that you actually did educate your children while they were at home *wink*!

* If you don't live near a major art supply store, many of the materials can be found on Amazon or Rainbow Resources.

Our Flash Trip to Kansas City For Spring Break - So Much Fun!

It hit me this morning when I opened the door to the family wagon: lingering odors of beef jerky, Dr. Pepper bubble gum and stale coffee.  Remnant reminders of our super-fun, three day spring break getaway. (I know, yum-yum, right? The men tend to get a little Quick Shop crazy when we road trip it.)

When I say getaway, I don't mean long, faraway restful excursions to exotic places, you know the ones where your Christmas card friends without kids make a point to go on at least 3 times a year just so they can share their relaxing, romantic, care-free, stress-free, whine-free photos with you??? What I mean by getaway is anywhere within a 172 mile radius of our front porch.  We've tried 173. It's a no-go. Total failure. With five boys and another set of buns on the way, 172 is actually pushing it.  

Honestly, most days, when I really need a break, calculating the risk vs. reward efforts of taking the boys to Orange Leaf or the zoo is my vacation reality.  I know, you're veins are pulsing with envy right now. 

But, with the recent expansion of my abdominal area, the "in 12 weeks there will be no freedom to go anywhere without an 800 pound diaper bag and spit-up on your shoulder" clock is ticking loudly in my head, and therefore despite my toes being swollen together, I'm hungry for some travel time.  That and enchiladas. This week it's enchiladas.

{Pre-party Charlie, shakin' his vacation shamrock.}

Last weekend, I managed to talk my soul mate into chauffeuring his family to Kansas City for a couple of days.  Everyone voiced their itinerary desires, and we came up with a plan that included swimming at the hotel, eating out at a few of our old faves, taking in the St. Patrick's Day parade, visiting friends, and by mom's request, something educational, which ended up being the National WW1 Memorial Museum.

Here's our reel of stellar pictures, shot by mom, who can't understand why everyone raves about the i-phone's photo capabilities, because she has yet to capture a single moment in a snapshot that isn't extremely underwhelming. You can sympathize, right? I mean, just the thought of packing a baby in the belly and a Nikon on the bosom for three days can trigger contractions, so logically, I settled for underwhelming.

Here we go!...

Zee St. Patty's Day Parade...

Even though I packed green shirts for everyone, I didn't consider the fact that the weather was forecasted to be 45 degrees that day, given the joy that 60 degrees and sunny has been the dominant weather pattern here at home.  Sadly, our St. Pat's spirit is buried beneath those sweats.

To remedy the possibility of us getting pinched all day, dad went all out and bought some bling for everyone from one of the many vendors selling everything from beer mugs to leg-warmers.

I love him for that. And, for my earmuffs... 

...which kept my ears warm and also ever-so-slightly muffled the constant two hour annoyance of Andrew's "spirited" support of the parade:

That is, until my green silencers/warmers were robbed right off my head by Mr. McHenry: 

 ....who is also clearly annoyed by the green horn.  Either that or the glaring sun, which gave us all the squints.  He's clutching an empty coffee cup from the hotel, which he had high hopes of filling with candy, because every parade should have candy throwers, right? Negative. I'm still listening to the groaning saga of the empty cup.

I tried to convince Henry that seeing the Irish dancers, bagpipe corps, and historic Irish family floats would be sweeter than a cup full of candy.  He didn't believe me.  

Maybe that's because 90% of the parade was politicians riding in vintage autos (snore) and row after row of gangster cars fully decked out with shamrock rims, boosting a bass loud enough to drown out my beloved bag-pipes. Grrrr.....

This isn't the parade I remember from our good ol' days of living in Kansas City.  No one was more disappointed in the show than mom, the one who is deeply proud of her Czech-German sauerkraut and stout heritage but secretly wishes she was just a wee bit Irish. So, we took an emotional break from the procession, and went to noon mass at my favorite church, so I could pray for Irish dancers and more bagpipers to miraculously appear.

 After a beautiful feast day mass, we returned to the parade with renewed spirits....

....and made our official departure about 20 minutes later when the boys (and mom) decided that our pathetic little faces could no longer hide such supreme parade disappointment.  The last round of "boom-shaka-laka" dancers and motorcycle gangs sent us over the edge:

 National World War I Museum:

I didn't take many pictures of the boys inside of the museum, because keeping our entourage together in such a huge place took skill and speed.  My skill, Steve's speed.  But, despite the lack of photo ops as proof of what an amazing experience it was to be there, I really can't encourage you enough to visit the memorial if you have the opportunity.  The museum was designed by the same company who created the Holocaust museum in Washington D.C.  Our boys (except for Henry and of course Charlie) all said it was by far the best part of our getaway. 

The quote on the wall says:

The glory of America goes deeper than all the tinsel, goes deeper than the sound of guns and the clash of sabers.  It goes down to the very foundation of those things that have made the spirit of man free, happy and content. ~ Woodrow Wilson

Andrew is looking through a magnifying glass that can be moved vertically as well as horizontally along a sliding track so that patrons may view photos of some of the regiments that were sent overseas from the U.S.

Ben and Andrew were fascinated by the scale of global involvement.  We all kept saying how trying to conceptualize the number of people involved in the war was simply impossible.  This is part of a chart that captured the calculations of soldier deportation by state.  Kansas: 63,428 of the 4,743,826 total U.S. participants.

 

One could easily spend an entire day exploring the museum, but after 2.5 hours, our troops were in need of nourishment.

The unanimous choice: Oklahoma Joe's BBQ.  BBQ is a passionate topic of debate amongst Kansas Citians, and trust me, everyone has an opinion.

 

When KC was home to us, we sampled the fare at nearly every BBQ joint in town, but Oklahoma Joe's clearly won our tummies over.  Those people wrote the BBQ gospel.  Hallelujah, it is gooood!! So, good, we stood in line for 45 minutes anticipating the yumminess!  Your clothes and hair will smell like smoke and sauce afterwards, but it will be totally worth it!

There was but one event that did not get checked off of the itinerar: Legoland.  When we arrived at Crown Center to purchase tickets, the wait to enter was 2 hours.  Not good. The tops of my feet were already swelling over the sides of my ballet flats.  

Thankfully, we encountered another mom who was more than happy to inform us that Legoland just isn't worth the ticket price.  There are no exciting exhibits, interactive games or building competitions. So what do you do there? Build. (Or, buy more Legos - no thank you.) Well, they can build all day in my basement for free.

I was, however, thankful for the Lego statues that entertained Charlie just long enough for me to prop up my puffy peds while the others made 47 trips up and down the escalators.  Charlie was just so cute with this Lego guy, he really couldn't get enough of him...  

 "So nice to meet you, Mr. Lego guy!"

 "Forget the handshake, let's just bring it in for a hug."

"You're so awesome, Lego Guy."

"No, Chuck you're awesome."

"My mom - the one over there with the fat feet - is also awesome."

(Okay, maybe my mind-reading is a little fuzzy, kind of like these pics.)

THE END.